Senator Raffy Tulfo has scrutinized the Department of Education's Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) program, claiming abuse by some officials. During a Senate committee hearing, he demanded proper vetting to ensure aid reaches truly qualified students from congested public schools.
During Monday's hearing of the Senate committee on basic education, Senator Raffy Tulfo examined the application process for the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) program and questioned who is actually being accepted. He stressed that the Department of Education must conduct thorough vetting to ensure assistance goes only to truly qualified students from overcrowded public schools, noting the agency's admission of insufficient screening capacity.
Currently, about 1.2 million students are enrolled in E-GASTPE, aimed at decongesting public schools by placing students in other institutions. Tulfo raised doubts about whether participating schools' areas are properly identified and if beneficiaries are effectively monitored. The program should prioritize the poorest families, but he cited reports of favoritism, with vouchers allegedly going to non-poor households. He highlighted anomalies including ghost students, fly-by-night institutions posing as private schools, and patronage politics.
Tulfo compared it to the MAIFIP program, where officials favor certain recipients for vouchers. "All the money wasted could have been used for the education of millions of Filipino youth," he said. For the 2026 budget, P41.18 billion is allocated to E-GASTPE, and he wants it institutionalized through legislation, but with conditions: full transparency in all steps, stakeholder awareness, records of fund allocation and selection processes, and regular auditing.
Finally, he directed DepEd to submit a complete list of participating schools to evaluate the program's management and implementation.